Jon Allsop’s assessment of whether a Trump-style “new right” could gain ascendancy in British politics is far too complacent (The ‘new right’ is Trump’s toxic legacy – and it could shape the future of British politics, 3 June). There is a Conservative “inner circle” that orchestrated the election of Boris Johnson as leader of the Conservative party and keeps him in post as prime minister. Groups such as the European Research Group and the Common Sense Group overwhelmingly determine government policies and dominate the current political narrative.
These powerful factions exploit notions such as “wokery” and “cancel culture”, and tolerate Johnson’s off-the-cuff ideas such as reintroducing imperial measurements. They do so because these divert the public’s attention and deflect the government’s opponents from challenging legislation which attacks the very tenets of our democracy – restricting the right to protest, curtailing the effectiveness of independent broadcasting media, increasing privatisation of the NHS, removing fundamental human rights of asylum seekers, introducing identity checks to restrict our right to vote, and much more.
The Trumpian tactics of the new right already have a strong foothold in this Conservative government, and we minimise the significance of this at our peril.
Peter Riddle
Wirksworth, Derbyshire
